A post-mortem was not done on late actress K Sujatha to determine the cause of her death despite a request from the police.

Dr Khairul Azman Ibrahim, who is the head of forensics at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang told magistrate Mohd Faizi Che Abu - sitting as a coroner - that when the form for the post-mortem was submitted by the police, it must then be performed.

k sujatha"By principle when the form is sent in, the post-mortem must be conducted by the doctor in-charge," he said.

However, although the post-mortem form was sent to the mortuary, the doctor on duty, Dr K Saravanan, did not perform it, he added.

"When I asked him (on why no post-mortem was done), he just said that the cause of death was already written on the burial permit and it is already known," said Khairul.

To a question by deputy public prosecutor Geethan Ram Vincent, Khairul also said that an internal probe was conducted by the hospital to determine why the post-mortem was not done.

He was testifying at the inquest into the death of 28-year-old Sujatha, who died on June 25, 2007, four days after her admission for allegedly consuming weed killer.

The doctor also agreed that a "conclusive" reason for Sujatha's death could have been identified if Saravanan had examined her body.

Lawyer K Kumaraendran representing Maika Holdings Bhd chief executive officer S Vell Paari then asked Khairul if he was aware that under the Section 330 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the investigating officer of a case can liaise with the doctor to have the body released despite the request for a post-mortem.

"As far as I know, it is like that... (but) in that situation we would tell the investigating officer to withdraw the post-mortem form," said Khairul.

Asked if the request was withdrawn in this case, Khairul first said it was not, but later added that he was not sure.

'No bruises on her body'

Another witness who took the stand today was K Mahaletchumy, a hospital attendant at the hospitals' emergency department.

"I first saw Sujatha in the emergency section and later when I went up to the ward I recognised her," said Mahaletchumy.

"I felt sorry for her as she looked untidy and her hair was all messed up... so I asked her if she had a bath and she shook her head because she was too weak and could not speak.

"I then asked her if she would like a bath and she nodded. I helped her into a wheelchair and took her to the bathroom to give her bath," she added.

Geethan then asked the witness if Sujatha had conveyed any information to her, to which Mahaletchumy responded by saying that Sujatha never spoke and was too weak.

To another question, the attendant also said that she did not notice bruises or injuries on Sujatha's body.

The hearing is set to continue tomorrow, with two doctors and a medical assistant from the hospital to take the stand.

Sujatha's sudden death has caused much controversy with some claiming that she was forced to consume paraquat.

Her relationship with Vell Paari was also played up but the latter denied any romantic links with the death actress.